Treasurer Joe Hockey has always been wary of going on Q&A. He was right. Hockey made policy on the run on the program when he agreed that GST shouldn’t be applied to women’s sanitary products and promised…

Uber drivers have been classified as taxi drivers and will have to register for GST. Uber says they will challenge the decision.
MAHATHIR MOHD YASIN / Shutterstock.comMay 22, 2015

The arrival of Netflix in Australia has brought into sharp relief the GST base erosion problem caused by global digital commerce. Along with the non-taxation of low-value imported goods, the absence of…

The Commonwealth appear to hold the aces when it comes to state-federal funding, but the states have cards to play.
AAP/Stefan PostlesApril 20, 2015

Bitter battles about money hang heavily over the Council of Australian Governments meeting, though Tony Abbott wants it to concentrate on the less divisive topics.

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett has not responded happily to hints by federal government ministers that his state must privatise assets if they want a larger slice of the GST pie.
AAP Image/Sarah MotherwellApril 13, 2015

With the May 12 budget potentially crucial for Tony Abbott's future, a Fairfax/Ipsos poll shows the government will go into its testing selling task with Treasurer Joe Hockey at rock bottom popularity.

Of all the states, Western Australia is the one that traditionally has had the most individual and, let's face it, bolshie, identity. When it has a grievance, the west can raise hell for a federal government of either hue.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are currently exempt from GST for equity reasons, but it’s time for a rethink.
Dean Lewins/AAPApril 7, 2015

Under Australian law, changes to the GST are said to be not permitted unless the states agree to the changes. In reality, the GST lock-in mechanism is legally meaningless and unenforceable, though it may…

History tells us it’s better for countries to get their GST right to start with, rather than try to broaden the base later.
Natalie Boog/AAPJanuary 26, 2015

Value added tax (VAT), virtually non-existent before 1960, has been the predominant form of consumption tax since the mid-1980s. Given that more than 160 countries now have a VAT, it is hardly surprising…